Building Codes And Their Importance To Rack Design

In spite of being a standalone structure, one or more local jurisdictions — including state, county, or local municipality — nearly always vet the safety of an industrial steel storage rack’s design and installation. The reason? The majority of U.S. governing bodies use the International Code Council’s International Building Code (IBC) as their base code standard. Further, IBC building codes reference RMI’s ANSI MH16.1: Specification for the Design, Testing and Utilization of Industrial Steel Storage Racks as the standard for safe design and installation of racks.

Why Building Codes Include Rack

The IBC includes industrial steel storage rack within its standards because the safe design, manufacture and installation of such structures depends on building-specific factors. These include flooring, soil classifications, anchoring, load type, handling equipment, and more. Racking located in an area with any potential for earthquakes must also have seismic requirements considered.

A building official will use the IBC and RMI standards to confirm the rack meets all building code requirements. To do this, the official will perform a through a review of the rack’s load application and rack configuration (LARC) drawings and documentation before issuing a building permit when required. Further, the jurisdiction will issue a certificate of occupancy only after the rack installation is complete and passes inspection. For these reasons, RMI recommends a facility owner contact the local building and planning department for guidance on how to ensure their installation is in compliance with codes prior to purchasing a rack structure.

Fire Protection Requirements

It is also important to note that the rack design planning process should also consider fire safety requirements. Frequently, fire protection requirements significantly impact the system’s design, as well as what items it can store. A permit and inspection to verify that a facility’s sprinkler system and racking are properly designed and will work together effectively is also likely to be a requirement. NFPA 13 design standard for sprinkler system installation and International Code Council (ICC) International Fire Code (IFC) regulations mandate this.

Get More info on Building Codes and Rack Design

Looking for additional information on the impact of building codes on rack design and installation? RMI’s “Considerations for the Planning and Use of Industrial Steel Storage Racks” has more detail in Chapter 1.